Flexible suture tube package with embedded tear string



Sept. 23, 1952 c. c. ADAMS 2,611,483

FLEXIBLE SUTURE TUBE PACKAGE WITH EMBEDDED TEAR STRING Filed J an. 4, 1950 dhww ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 23, 1952 7:3...

- p 611,483 I FLEXIBLE SUTURE TUBE PACKAGE EMBEDDED TEAR STRING H wrrii V ilharles '0. Adams, New York, N. assignor i Davis & Geck, Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y'., a, corporation of New York Application'January 4, 1950, Serial No. 136,806

' 1 Claim. (01. 206.63.3)

The present invention relates to a package containing a sterile surgical article or a plurality of articles such as sutures in tubes and to a method of making the same. 7

The principal object of the invention is to provide such a package with means for readily opening the same when the contents are to be used.

Still another object is to provide a novel method of applying a tear string to a flexible container. V

In the surgical article art and particularly the surgical suture field, it is common practice to supply the trade with sutures immersed in a sterilizing liquid such as ethyl alcohol, aqueous formaldehyde, Zepherin" or the like in a sealed transparent tube. Thus when the doctor or surgeon desires to use the suture, he has only to rupture the same and remove the suture which is in a sterile condition and ready for use.

It has been customary in the trade to include a plurality of such tubed sutures in cardboard containers but one of the objections thereto is that the outside of the suture tube is not sterile which requires a separate and additional sterilizing operation on the part of the customer.

It has also been customary to enclose a plurality of suture tubes in a tin can containing suflicient sterilizing liquid to completely immerse th tubes. This package has the advantage that the customer receives tubes completely sterile on the outside. However, the cans are open to the objection that they are extremely heavy which increases the transportation costs and such containers are expensive.

It has also been proposed to seal a suture into an envelope and enclose the first envelope into a second and outer envelope, all in a dry, sterile condition. Thus when the outer envelope is opened, the outside of'the inner envelope remains sterile and the danger 'of contaminating the sterile suture in the inner envelope when the latter is opened is lessened. Such a proposal, while theoretically good, is open to the objection that it is impractical to satisfactorily dry heat sterilize either the sutures or the envelopes under those conditions and moreover no satisfactory transparentor translucent material was available which would resist the solvent or deteriorating action of the usual liquid sterilizing mediums or satisfactorily hold such volatile mediums in storage or over long periods of time.

With the advent and commercial availability of thermoplastic resins such as the polyethylenes, trifiuorochloroethylene polymers, polyvinyl chloride either alone or copolymerized with vinyl acei 12a 1 tate, rubber, latex and-the'like, alllof'which "r available as heat scalable, transparent "or trans i lucent, flexible sheets resistant tothe usualsterilizing liquids, it nowbecomes 'possibletolsupply the lack in the prior proposalandtprovide'a transparent or translucent, fiexible packag'e .for tubed sutures which may be readily' heat sealed and contain the necessary quantities of the'gusual i sterilizing liquids without .fear of leakageior package deterioration. .1 1 One of the difiicultiesencountered: inideveloping such apackage hasbeen the Iprovisionof a. satisfactory method of opening the samein'brder to make the contents accessible. qWhilesurgical. scissors might beused tosimply cut off. the end, yet this is objectionable in view-of the fact'ithat-i the outside of the outer envelope is vu'nsterile and f the act of shearing offers the possibilityofzcarrys ing 'contaminations onto. the s-previouslycsterile inner envelope and so to the tubes andxisutures; therein. Moreover, the use. of .scissorsE-require's: their availability. and constituteswa separate} cumbersome opening operation. .;t All of the above objections are'overcome andu. the stated and other objects areaccomplished-bye the present invention which contemplatesrthe provision of an inner envelope c'ontai-ningonelor more suture tubes, each of'which carriesla suture and sterilizing liquid, with a-sterilizin'g'. liquid in l the inner envelope, the latter being enclosed in an outer sealed envelope with'additional sterilizing liquid and a tear string heat sealedinto the .1 outer envelope and/or inner envelope so that a cap or section of the outer envelope-may be readily removedwhen the tear string weakens the" wall thereof. Th invention contemplates that the material of which the envelopes'arefmade shall be of a flexible, thermoplastic, heat sealable resin composition and substantially transparent or translucent. Q In applying thetear string tothe outerand/er inner envelope, the method of 'the invention cantemplates inserting a mandrel-intothe envelope; heat pressing the tear string against the envelope wall so as to partially embed the strin therein, applying a strip ofa thermoplastic,'heat seaIableresin composition over the string'and heat pressa ing the same against the envelope and string so" as to partially embed the string in the strip and heat seal the strip to the envelope. This has the effect of reducing the thickness of the envelope material in proximity to the string so that when the applied strip is severed as by removing the string, a simple pull on one end of the envelope will cause it to be severed at the reduced thickiii 2,611,483

ness portion and the cap or end portion of the envelope thus removed making the inner envelope available.

The invention is further illustrated in the drawings in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a section of endless tubing material.

Fig. 2 is a similar view'showing one end heat sealed.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing a mandrel in sorted and the tear string applied.

Fig. 3a is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the string applied to the envelope.

Fig. 3b is a similar view showingthestr-in'g. heat pressed against the envelope and partially embedded therein.

Fig. 3c is a similar view showing the strip applied to the string.

Fig. 3d is a similar view showing the strip heat pressed against the string and envelope to partialm embed thestring in-the strip and heat seal therstrip'to the envelope.

Fig: 4 isa-perspective view showing? the method of insertion of the-inner envelope.

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the sterilizing liquid-being filled into the outer envelope.

. Fig. 6 is a similar-view showing the-sealed compositemackage.

Fig. 7 "showswthe removal :of the cap fromthe composite package after removal-ofthetear strip.

Referring, now to the drawings and the embodiments illustrated, in Fig. 1 a section of end less tubing isshown-at I ofany of 'thewell known thermoplastic: and heat scalable compositions suchas' iabove mentioned. One end portion of I the tube section is collapsed between heating elements tofmakeaheat seal as-at-El A mandrel 3 havingiaflared'mouth l is- -then inserted into the envelope 1 andrthe tear string. applied. This is accomplished as shown in Fig. 3a by positioning a tearstringi asshown. The tear string may be of any suitable' material. As shown in Fig. 3b a heating element 6-is-then pressure applied to thestring! to "such-an extent-as to cause the string to *be partially embedded in the wall of the envelope l. This-has the efiect of producing an area 1- of. decreased thicknesses shown in Fig. 3b. A' strip-8' or. thevsame ordiil'erent thermoplastic,

heat:sealable resincomposition of'whi'ch the en-- velope-l is -made is then' applied over the string and' heating element li pressure applied thereto soas to bring-thestrip-insubstantial contact with theiwall of theenvelope l asshown in Fig. 3d and partially embed thestringinthe'strip. .The heating-i'element. asshown causes1theheatsea1ing of 4 understood that the inner envelope may be similarly furnished with a tear string as above indicated although for convenience of illustration, no tear string is shown.

The inner envelope having been inserted into the outer envelope, a quantity of sterilizing liquid I5 is then added as shown in Fig. 5, the mandrel 3 removed and the upper end l6 sealed between heating elements in the usual manner. Thus Fig. 6 shows a completed modification with the free ends of the tear string available for rupturing theouter envelope.

In" use, the tear string is simply pulled off which causesit to tear through the strip 8 thus leaving the outer envelope still sealed through witna weakened portion 1 of its Wall. Pulling the end of the envelope as shown in Fig. 7 causes a cap I! to pull off thus making the inner envelope available. Due to the fact that there is sterilizing liquid between the two envelopes, the inner one is completely sterile. The upper end of the-inner envelope may either be similarly removed where it is provided; with a tear string-or cut by scissors preferably after inverting the inner envelope so as to bathe the parts of the wall being cut with a sterilizing liquid. The tear string is preferred as this insures maintenance of sterile conditions. The tubes may then be used andthe sutures removed therefrom in the usual manner.

While the invention :has been described with particular reference to specific-embodiments, it is to be understood that it is not to be limited thereto butis to be construed broadly and restricted :solely .by the scope of the appended claim.

What-isclaimed;

1..In combination, a sealed suture tube within an inner sealed, flexible, translucent envelope of a thermoplastic, heat sealableresin composition, asimilar-outer envelope enclosing the inner envelope; sterilizing liquid in each envelope, a strip of' thermoplastic, heat scalable resin composition sealed to the outer envelope around its outer periphery, and a tear string between the outer envelope and the strip and embedded in each, the endszof the tear string being free, whereby pullingsaid'tear string causes it to tear through said strip .leaving the outer envelope still sealed though with a Weakene'd portion in its wall.

- :CHARLES C. ADAMS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS .Von Gunten n May 22, 1951 

